Keivonn Woodard: Film star, Emmy nominee, aspiring hockey player 

In July 2023, Kendall Demonstration Elementary School student Keivonn Montreal Woodard was nominated for an Emmy for his performance as Sam in the HBO series The Last of Us. Woodard was one of six nominees in the Best Guest Actor in a Drama Series, and, at age 10, the youngest person ever nominated in this category. He is also the first Black Deaf actor in the history of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences to be nominated for an Emmy. 

The 75th annual Primetime Emmys are scheduled for Monday, January 15 at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Some of the awards were announced in advance, including the one for which Woodard was nominated. He did not win, but his castmate, Nick Offerman, who played the role of Bill, did.  

Woodard is a very good ice hockey player. He plays in the Bowie (Maryland) Hockey League. He recently had the opportunity to meet Washington Capitals players, including Alex Ovechkin, at the Capitals’ training facility in Arlington, Virginia. ESPN documented Woodard teaching Ovi his nickname in American Sign Language. 

Woodard was also featured in the September 2023 issue of Washingtonian Magazine in their “Guest List” feature, “a monthly roundup of people we’d like to have over for drinks, food, and conversation.” 

The Last of Us received a total of 24 Emmy nominations, second only to Succession, which received 27 nominations. The complete list of nominees and already-announced winners is at https://www.emmys.com/. 

Congratulations, Keivonn! We look forward to even bigger things from you.